Category: Giving Them Their Roses
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MELVIN LINDSEY
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growing up in the 1990’s, there were ballads and then there were slow jams. that distinction mattered in the early 90’s. today, with the advent of streaming, it is a norm to consume multiple genres in just one playlist. but in 1990, that required more work. if you wanted to…
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SELENA
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My love for Selena would begin as a young brown boy growing up in Tucson, Arizona. As a first generation Mexican-American, and child of immigrant families, her story of embracing her Chicanaroots is what mirrored most in my life. From my earliest of memories, all I know is singing and dancing…
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HECTOR VALLE XTRAVAGANZA
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the year was 1982. new york began the year as one of the most dangerous cities in the united states with a record 637,451 reported felonies by the end of 1981.one year into what is now known as the AIDS epidemic but before the urging of activists during a july…
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HYDEIA BROADBENT
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Last august, Hydeia Broadbent celebrated her 35th birthday. this wasn’t just a milestone but a testament to the sheer determination of life and hope. Diagnosed with HIV at three years old, hydria was not expected to survive past age five. And in 1987, years almost a decade before the breakthrough…
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THE GOOD GIRLS
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by the late 80’s, motown records, the label that invented the r&b cross-over sound in the 60’s, was struggling to remain relevant. with new jack swing dominating radio, motown signed several young acts to compete with the musical landscape. the good girls were one of those acts. in late 1989,…
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LORENA BORJAS
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long known as a mother, activist and defender of trans women, sex workers and undocumented LGBTQIA folks, lorena borjas dedicated her life to the liberation of those living on the margins. lorena immigrated to the new york from veracruz, mexico in 1981 – just as the AIDS epidemic was beginning…
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VITO RUSSO
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people living with AIDS formed coalitions for each other years before the US present ronald reagan publicly acknowledged AIDS. people living with AIDS mobilized to feed, house, nurse, care, and fight for themselves and each other. they became their own researchers, lobbyists, and drug smugglers. and this was done before…
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LA DELFI
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La Delfi was a pioneer and visionary. To carve out a space in a music genre that has been and continues to be dominated by cis-het men, La Delfi forged just of unprecedented successes for herself, but for queer dominican dembow artists including up and coming queer La Kristy. For…
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THE B-52s
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i always knew i was gay. i don’t have a coming out story because i was always “out” or whatever that meant for a 13 year old in 1990. i didn’t begin to identify as queer until much later in my life. partly, because in 1990, i didn’t even know…
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OCTAVIA ST. LAURENT
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today we remember, celebrate and speak the name of octavia st. laurent. born on march 16, 1964, octavia would go on to become one of the most ICONIC ballroom figures in the history. octavia st. laurent, after slaying runways in the ballroom scene for years, became the breakout star in…
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KENNY GREENE
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it has been almost 20 years since the death of singer and prolific songwriter, kenny greene. sadly, his death was shrouded in hiv stigma and biphobia. kenny greene was the dynamic mastermind behind 90’s r&b trio INTRO. born in detroit, michigan, kenny, was inspired to put a trio together after…
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ANDRE MIZRAHI
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after madonna’s 1990 hit “vogue” brought the dance art of vogueing into the mainstream consciousness for a season, vogueing returned to the underground and continued to thrive in black and latinx queer and trans ballroom communities. there were glimpses of the art form in a few music videos throughout the…